Salinosporamide A(1) was recently discovered by Fenical et al. as a bioactive product of a marine microorganism that is widely distributed in ocean sediments. Feeling, R. H.; Buchanan, G. O.; Mincer, T. J.; Kauffman, C. A.; Jensen, P. R.; Fenical, W., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2003, 42, 355–357.

Structurally Salinosporamide A closely resembles the terrestrial microbial product omuralide (2a) that was synthesized by Corey et al. several years ago and demonstrated to be a potent inhibitor of proteasome function. See, (a) Corey, E. J.; Li, W. D., Z. Chem. Pharm. Bull., 1999, 47, 1–10; (b) Corey, E. J., Reichard, G. A.; Kania, R., Tetrahedron Lett., 1993, 34, 6977–6980; (c) Corey, E. J.; Reichard, G. A., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1992, 114, 10677–10678; (d) Fenteany, G.; Standaert, R. F.; Reichard, G. A.; Corey, E. J.; Schreiber, S. L., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1994, 91, 3358–3362.
Omuralide is generated by β-lactonization of the N-acetylcysteine thiolester lactacystin (2b) that was first isolated by the Omura group as a result of microbial screening for nerve growth factor-like activity. See, Omura, S., Fujimoto, T., Otoguro, K., Matsuzaki, K., Moriguchi, R., Tanaka, H., Sasaki, Y., Antibiot., 1991, 44, 113–116; Omura, S., Matsuzaki, K., Fujimoto, T., Kosuge, K., Furuya, T., Fujita, S., Nakagawa, A., J. Antibiot., 1991, 44, 117–118.
Salinosporamide A, the first compound Fenical's group isolated from Salinospora, not only had a never-before-seen chemical structure 1, but is also a highly selective and potent inhibitor of cancer-cell growth. The compound is an even more effective proteasome inhibitor than omuralide and, in addition, it displays surprisingly high in vitro cytotoxic activity against many tumor cell lines (IC50 values of 10 nM or less). Fenical et al. first found the microbe, which they've dubbed Salinospora, off the coasts of the Bahamas and in the Red Sea. See, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 68, 5005 (2002).
Fenical et al. have shown that Salinospora species requires a salt environment to live. Salinospora thrives in hostile ocean-bottom conditions: no light, low temperature, and high pressure. The Fenical group has now identified Salinospora in five oceans, and with 10,000 organisms per cm3 of sediment and several distinct strains in each sample; and according to press reports, they've been able to isolate 5,000 strains. See, Chemical & Engineering News, 81, 37 (2003).
A great percentage of the cultures Fenical et al. have tested are said to have shown both anticancer and antibiotic activity. Like omuralide 2a, salinosporamide A inhibits the proteasome, an intracellular enzyme complex that destroys proteins the cell no longer needs. Without the proteasome, proteins would build up and clog cellular machinery. Fast-growing cancer cells make especially heavy use of the proteasome, so thwarting its action is a compelling drug strategy. See, Fenical et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003-0157695A1, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.